Understanding the American and Soviet Experience in WWII
[contributed by Cris Martin]
Background
Essential Question: Who Won WWII? Length: 2 weeks Grade: 9th-12th Student population: Varied Guiding Massachusetts Frameworks: World History II: The Great Wars (WHII.20—WHII.28) and US History II: World War II, 1941-1945 (USII.14—USII.17).
The resources listed in this annotated resource library all pertain to a unit devoted to understanding the American and Soviet experience in WWII. This unit was not built around a text book, but rather on a variety of sources comprising various mediums, including non-fiction texts, interactive websites, and films. Because American history textbooks provide good coverage of the American experience in the war and there are so many units and lesson plans online devoted to this perspective, I have chosen to include only resources related to the Soviet experience in WWII in the annotated resource library that follows. Every print resource listed below can be borrowed, for free, from the Outreach Program resource library at the Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies at Harvard University.
Details: This detailed website features a variety of exhibits, several of which deal with WWII. Although the exhibits do not deal with the Soviet experience in particular, the general information provided might be helpful in orienting material regarding the war, specifically its detailed information on the Holocaust.
Content: The site contains two useful timelines, one which deals with the war in the Pacific (this can be found under the World War II heading) and one that deals with the war in Europe (which can be found under the Nazi Germany/World War II heading). The timelines are interactive, and contain links to photos and primary course documents. The most relevant information on the site is a brief write up of the Battle of Stalingrad, which is listed under the link for the Top Ten Battles of All Time (see number 4).
Usability: The site is very easy to use and navigate, making it appropriate for most high school students. The advertisements on the page can be distracting, but none are inappropriate. The brief write-up of the Battle at Stalingrad could be used as an in-class or an at-home reading.
Details: Multi, multi-paged website that contains hundreds of brief video clips regarding WWII.
Content: There are too many videos on this site to detail! Some of the content includes individual biographies of the major figures involved in the war (Hitler, Stalin, Churchill, Tojo, etc.), videos regarding individual battles (Stalingrad, Midway, Pearl Harbor, Kursk, Berlin), summary videos that talk about how the war was won in the Pacific and in Europe, and videos about the development and deployment of the atomic bomb. Every video contains news footage from the war and many include voices of leaders and others who played a part in the war.
Usability: The website is slightly difficult to navigate, especially if you start at the front page. Your best bet is selecting history from the tool bar that runs across the top and locating the link for World War II. Once inside you can search for videos by keyword. These videos could be used in class or for homework (if your students have access to computers in and out of school). In order to best make use of the site, it is advised that teachers seek out certain videos to highlight to their students.
Details: Interactive website with multimedia map of the war. Exploring every feature of the multimedia would likely take 5 or more hours.
Content: Pobediteli (which means victors in Russian) is a fantastic, interactive tool for teaching students about the Soviet experience in WWII. The site itself functions as a virtual memorial to the Soviet citizens who fought in the war (you can track a veteran of the war through the site, much as you can at the WWII memorial in Washington, DC) although it also contains a multimedia map that is quite remarkable. This multimedia feature traces the war sequentially from start to finish via an interactive map that provides photographs, primary source documents, music and in-depth videos that are really instructive. The site also provides first-person commentary from individuals who fought in and lived through the war. The map itself is particularly interesting as it shows how the front, the actual line that demarcated the progress of the Germans in their march towards Moscow, shifted over time as the Soviets began to win battles and march toward Berlin.
Usability: Although the site is very easy to use, teachers are advised to play with it before using it in the classroom or instructing students to use it on their own. The site will be most effective if teachers highlight which portions they would like to focus on, as there is a lot of information available. Could be very useful in an online scavenger hunt or DBQ.
Details: This website is an online collection of primary source materials covering the Soviet period from the Revolution in 1917 to the fall of Communism in 1991. Most pages contain primary and secondary text sources, videos, audio clips (including songs), images, maps, and related websites.
Content: A great number of the moments chronicled relate to WWII, specifically: ·Soviet Territorial Annexations (1939)—this page details the Soviet annexation of Poland, which was a result of the Nazi-Soviet Non-Aggression Pact. The related materials on this page are particularly strong, including the text of the Secret Protocol and the actual Nazi-Soviet Pact, information on the war with Finland, and videos showing Molotov’s arrival in Germany and Estonia’s inclusion in the USSR. ·Cult of Leadership (1943)—this page compares Stalin and his growing power to that of Ivan the Terrible; it has a short clip from Sergei Eisenstein’s masterpiece, Ivan the Terrible, and a sound recording of Molotov’s announcement to the Soviet people regarding the German invasion in 1941. ·Deportation of Minorities (1943)—this page describes the forced migration of over one million ethnic minorities—including Chechen, Tatars, Volga Germans, Ingush, and Koreans—from their homelands to Eastern and Southern USSR. The accompanying documents include the text of Order 5859ss, which specifically called for the deportation of the Tatars, and a report on the progress of the deportations from Beria, then head of the Secret Police. ·Holocaust (1943)—this page provides insight into the Holocaust as it was experienced by Soviet Jews living in the occupied territories in Belarus and Poland. The related materials include a link to Yevtushenko’s moving poem, Babi Yar, as well as footage from a concentration camp near Talinn, Estonia. ·900 Days (1943)—this page details the 900 day Siege of Leningrad, where over 2 million Soviet citizens lost their lives. The related materials include diaries kept by those who lived in the besieged city, related text which describes how the artifacts in Leningrad’s Hermitage survived the siege and three photo essays. ·Stalingrad (1943)—this page details the turning point in the war, the Battle for Stalingrad. The associated materials include a video regarding street-fighting in Stalingrad as well as two photo essays about life in the city under siege. ·The Battle of Kursk (1943)—this page details the magnificent tank battle at Kursk and features a two-minute clip detailing the battle, with footage and commentary (with English subtitles). ·Epaulettes Back on Uniforms (1943)—this page details the Soviet Union’s attempts to rebuild the morale of the military, particularly after the crushing early military defeats they suffered at the hands of the Nazis in 1941 and 1942. The additional information on the page pertains mostly to Marshal Georgii Zhukov, the leader of the Red Army during the war. ·The New National Anthem (1943)—this page details the history of the Soviet national anthem, the lyrics for which were rewritten during the war. The additional materials provide students with the opportunity to hear the various incarnations of the anthem. ·The Strange Alliance (1943)—this page provides a great deal of information on the war-time alliance between the “Big Three”—Great Britain, the US, and the USSR. The additional materials include the text of the Twenty-Year Mutual Assistance Agreement, the Lend-Lease Agreement, and the Yalta Agreement, three great primary source documents. ·Love and Romance in the War (1943)—this page details the heightened romanticism of the war and the consequences this had on marriage, births and the role of women in the USSR. Related materials include links to a website about female Soviet fighter pilots, and primary source documents regarding the legal reasons for divorce, benefits for illegitimate children and government aid to mothers and children. ·Veterans Return (1947)—this page tells of the sad fate that awaited many of the 8.5 million Soviet soldiers who returned from battle in the late 1940s. Many had no place to live, no family to return to, and no opportunity for employment. The additional materials include a short photo essay and art/propaganda posters announcing the return of Soviet soldiers.
Usability: Although this is a great site with a wide variety of resource, the variety itself can make it overwhelming to use. There is an option for teachers to build their own syllabus, and this personalized tool may make the site more manageable for some educators. The creators of the site intend for it to be used in a wide variety of classrooms and grades, and although most students would not have trouble navigating the site, the writing on some of the pages may be a challenge for students below grade 11. Finally, the materials they present are great sources—many are primary sources or really intriguing secondary sources with valuable images and clips—but they are not always contextualized well and you may need to provide your students with additional information to make use of some of them. This site could be very useful in an online scavenger hunt or a DBQ. Please note, you do need to register to use this site, although registration is free.
Details: The Stalin Project, devoted to the life and legacy of Joseph Stalin, is an multi-page, interactive website that was designed by a local high school teacher, with additional help provided by the Outreach Program. The site was funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Content: Although most of the content broadly refers to Stalin’s life and leadership, there is a small section on WWII (this falls under the heading, Life and Policies). Although the majority of the content is not specific to WWII, this site could prove helpful in providing additional information about Stalin’s rise to power, Soviet war preparation, and life on the home front.
Usability: This website is easy to navigate, contains a lot of interesting visuals, and the content is designed for student use, as it is easy to read. There are also lesson plans available for download for teacher use. Finally, the content of each chapter is presented at three levels—advanced (3 pages), medium (1 page), and short (2 paragraphs)—so that teachers can choose which topics to study in depth and which to present more shallowly.
Details: Ten-page website designed to celebrate the 55th anniversary of victory day. The website comes from the Russian perspective, but was designed by a non-government source, the Voice of Russia radio station.
Content: The 10 pages linked from the main page are:
What do our listeners think?: This page is really interesting, as it provides first-person narrative responses to the programming the Voice of Russia radio provided to celebrate the 55th anniversary of victory day. Many of the respondents, representing a variety of nations, comment on the essential question of the unit, namely, who won the war?
The Great Patriotic War: Year after year: This link provides a brief historical summary of each year of the war, which might be useful to distribute to students as a primer.
Pictorial art during the Great Patriotic War: This link contains several different virtual art exhibits, devoted to poster art, painting, sculpture, graphic design and war memorials, all designed during the war.
“The Voice of Russia” in the Great Patriotic War: A brief history of Voice of Russia’s activities during the war.
Chapter devoted to the Second World War: The title for this page is not accurate—the content is devoted to biographical sketches of several Russian poets and some of the poetry they wrote during the war.
Russian prose in the years of World War II: This page features several prose excerpts written during the war.
The Great Patriotic War in Photos: This page contains photos of occupied resistance in Belarus, the Siege of Leningrad, the Battle at Stalingrad, and the taking of Berlin.
The Way it Was: A chapter summarizing the war on the Eastern front.
Final results of the radio forum: Information regarding listener reaction to the radio program, 55th Anniversary of victory Day.
Usability: This site is easy to use and read, and could be accessed by most high school students. The most pertinent sections include: the What do listeners think? section, as it goes directly to answering the essential question and helps students understand the role of perspective in history; the Great Patriotic War Year by Year, as it provides readable summaries of the war should a teacher wish to provide breadth on the whole war and focus more deeply on particular issues; and the page devoted to pictorial art, as it comments on artistic culture during the war.
Content: In 1961, Russian poet, Yevgeny Yevtushenko, wrote this poem to protest the Soviet government’s refusal to acknowledge the atrocities at Babi Yar, a ravine in rural Kiev, Ukraine where 33,000 Jews were executed in 1941. The actions at Babi Yar constitute the single largest massacre of the Holocaust outside of a concentration camp.
Usability: This poem is difficult, contains religious language and imagery, and should be used among upper level students or those students who have advanced reading levels. It might be interesting to work with an English teacher on team teaching this content, so that students can study the poem both for its artistic and historical merit. A detailed analysis of the poem can be found here: http://www.cyberessays.com/English/172.htm.
Videos
f Red Empire: The Definitive Modern History of the USSR! Vestron Video. VHS. Yorkshire Television, 1990.
Resource intended for student use
Resource available through the OP library
Details: This seven-part television documentary series chronicles the history of the USSR from beginning to end. Volume Five (which runs 54 minutes) is entitled “Patriots” and deals exclusively with WWII.
Content: The series is chronicled and narrated by famed Soviet historian, Robert Conquest. It features excellent film and newsreel footage and interviews with people who fought in or lived through the war. Although not nearly as complete as the PBS series listed below, it is nine-hours shorter!
Usability: This video can easily be used with students from 9-12th grade. Some background knowledge of the subject would be helpful, as this is part five in a seven part series.
Russia’s War: Blood Upon the Snow. PBS Home Video. VHS. Turner Home Entertainment, 1997..
Resource intended for student use
Resource available through the OP library
Details: This 10-hour documentary series is an excellent record of the Soviet’s Great Patriotic War. The content is broken up into 5 parts on 5 VHS tapes, each tape tuns about 108 minutes:
The Darkness Descends
2.Between Life and Death
3.The Fight from Within
4.The Citadel
5.The Fall of the Swastika
Detailed notes on the content of each chapter are available through the Outreach Program.
Content: This comprehensive video series covers the war from soup to nuts—starting in the mid-1920s with Lenin’s death and Stalin’s rise to power and closing in the late 1940s with the birth of the USSR as a superpower in post-war Europe and the growth of the cult of personality around Stalin. The series is meticulously researched and includes interesting first-person interviews and archival resources. Of particular interest:
The first 20 minutes of the fourth hour (second half tape one) provides a good overview of the terrible first days of the war.
The fourth hour of the series (second half of tape two) contains very moving and important footage regarding the Siege of Leningrad, including video of the Leningrad Symphony Orchestra, decimated in the siege, playing Shostakovich’s 7th Symhony (aka the Leningrad Symphony).
The fifth hour of the series (first half of tape three) is devoted to the partisan efforts in the occupied territories. There is a really interesting interview with Lena Mazanik, who planted a bomb under the bed of SS Officer Kube, who was killed when it exploded. Her subsequent treatment at the hands of the Stalin regime (she was arrested and questioned) is eye-opening but representative of how many Soviet citizens were treated after the war.
Usability: The biggest problem with this series is that it has too much good information, making it hard to prioritize what to use. The series can be used at nearly any grade in high school. The tone of the narration is not biased.
Books
Chiukov, Vasily and Vasily Ryabov. The Great Patriotic War. Moscow: Planeta Publishers, 1985.
Resource intended for student use
Resource available through the OP library
Details:The Great Patriotic War is more a photo album than a history book. The nearly 400-page book has very little text and pages upon pages of photos depicting life on the home front and the battlefields of Soviet Russia during WWII (aka the Great Patriotic War). Most o the photos are well-captioned, providing some context to the image. The book concludes with a photographic index of the Soviet military leadership, including Generalissimo Joseph Stalin.
Content: This book is written by two Russians (one of whom was a General in the Red Army during the War and twice named Hero of the Soviet Union), and it shows in the book’s point of view. For example, each chapter begins with a quote from The History of the CPSU—during Soviet times it was quite common to begin a piece of writing with some allusion to Lenin or the party, even if they were inconsequential to the topic. Although the text is slightly propagandistic, the photos are what really shine and make the book valuable.
Usability: As mentioned above, the limited text reads like a propaganda pamphlet, which might be difficult for students to understand. However, if the material were contextualized by the teacher, students could learn a valuable lesson in identifying biased historical writing, as well as providing them with a glimpse of the culture of the USSR (even as late as the 1980s), where people were constantly aware that what they produced was going to be read critically by the government and censors. That said, there is little text, and the photos are highly accessible, although the book lacks a table of contents or an index which would make it easier to navigate.
Gitelman, Zvi, ed. Bitter Legacy: Confronting the Holocaust in the USSR. Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Press, 1997.
Resource intended for teacher use
Resource available through the OP library
Details: This 320-page book is a collection of essays regarding the Holocaust as it happened in the USSR.
Content: This book provides interesting insight into the legacy of the Holocaust in the USSR. It covers a wide range of topics, including the history of anti-Semitism in the USSR both before and after the war, the persecution and execution of Jews in Soviet Poland, Ukraine, Belarus and Latvia, the role many Jewish citizens played in the partisan movement during the war, and the role non-Jewish Soviet citizens, living under Nazi occupation, played in the Holocaust. The book closes with a series of primary source documents, including Nazi directives regarding the destruction of Jews in Ukraine and an excerpt from a diary detailing how a Jewish family was rescued from the Nazis in Soviet Ukraine.
Usability: This book is likely too difficult for any high school student to tackle, as it is very academic in nature. However, it can be a good resource for teachers who are interested in knowing, and including in their curriculum, information about how the Holocaust was carried out in the occupied territories of the USSR and how many Soviet citizens collaborated with the Nazis in the destruction of the Jewish people.
Lyons, Graham, ed. The Russian Version of the Second World War: The History of the War as Taught to Soviet Schoolchildren. New York: Facts on File Publications, 1976.
Resource intended for student use
Resource available through the OP library
Details: This 138-page book provides a unique perspective on the history of WWII—the content is simply the text from several Soviet-era high school textbooks translated into English. The text comes from two different textbooks (which were both still in use into the 1990s), one that emphasizes political history and one that covers military history. They are used together to present a more concise account of what Soviet teachers taught their students about the war. Lyons also provides a summary of the Western position to contextualize the Soviet version of history.
Content: Lyons’ contends that, “If we want to know the feeling of a nation about great events in its history, the best possible sources are its school books” (p. xii). This interesting book is a study in point of view, and can help students understand more about bias and who writes history.
Usability: Because the majority of the text was initially written for school children, the book should be highly accessible to most high school students. There is a detailed table of contents at the beginning of the book, which can help teachers pick and choose what content to use.
Pleshakov, Constantine. Stalin’s Folly: The Tragic First Ten Days of WWII on the Eastern Front. New York: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2005.
Resource intended for student use
Resource available through the OP library
Details: This 275-page book deals exclusively with the first ten days of the war on the Eastern front.
Content: The topic of the book is very narrow, but the focus on Stalin’s decisions leading up to the war and during the first 10 days of the war will likely be very interesting to students as they are so counter-intuitive and had such a large impact on the start of the war in the USSR.
Usability: Although an interesting read, the book as a whole is more appropriate for use by teachers than students. That said, excerpts from the Prologue can be used for 11th and 12th grade students studying Soviet involvement in the war. Pleshakov had access to a lot of new material from Soviet archives, making his scholarship very fresh and new.
Salisbury, Harrison. The Unknown War: Russia vs. Germany in the World War II Bloodbath that Took 30,000,000 Lives. New York: Bantam Books, 1978.
Resource intended for student use
Resource available through the OP library
Details: This 219-page book is more a photo album than a history book. It was written by Harrison Salisbury, a reporter for the New York Times who was a photojournalist on the Eastern front during the final year of the war. The book, which is the written accompaniment to the documentary film series of the same name, is full of black and white photographs with accompanying text.
Content: The book covers the period from the Nazi invasion in 1941 to the dropping of the atom bomb and Japan’s acquiescence in 1945. As was mentioned above, the photos are the real stars of the book, and can help students visualize the reality of WWII. That said, the text does provide a succinct account of the war, although it is not the most engaging text.
Usability: The photos in the book are accessible to any high student, especially those who are visual learners. The text itself is not appropriate for younger students (although it is more journalistic than academic in its approach, thereby making it slightly more accessible) or students with learning disabilities or lower-level reading skills.
Simmons, Cynthia and Nina Perlina. Writing the Siege of Leningrad: Women’s Diaries, memoirs, and Documentary Prose. Pittsburgh, PA: University of Pittsburgh Press, 2002.
Resource intended for student use
Resource available through the OP library
Details: This 211-page book details the Siege of Leningrad from a first person perspective through translated diary excerpts and documentary prose written by women who lived through the siege. The book includes 10 diary excerpts/letters, 13 memoir excerpts, and 7 examples documentary prose. No excerpt is longer than 12 pages, and most are closer to 3-4 pages in length.
Content: As mentioned above, this book provides first-person narratives from women who lived through the three-year Siege of Leningrad. The book also includes a detailed foreword and preface which provide some historical context for the excerpts, a chronology of the siege, and a glossary of terms. The diary excerpts in particular tend to be overly detailed—the documentary prose is less so, as they were recorded many years after the event and tend towards the more general.
Usability: The excerpts are very readable, although some feature vocabulary that may be unfamiliar to American students (although highly familiar to Russian students). Each excerpt begins with a brief biography of the author, which should help peak student interest and investment and help contextualize the material. The material could be used in a literature circle or jigsaw.
Skipper, G.C. World at War: Battle of Stalingrad. Chicago: The Children’s Press, 1981.
Resource intended for student use
Resource available through the OP library
Details: This 45-page book is intended to be used by younger students, starting at grade 6. It includes many black and white photographs and maps, as well as copy of a proclamation, signed by Roosevelt, commending the Soviet soldiers for their bravery at Stalingrad, calling Stalingrad the turning point in the Allied victory.
Content: This book recounts the main details of the Battle at Stalingrad, argued by many (including Roosevelt, see above) to be the turning point for the Allies in WWII. The author tries to make the content as dramatic as possible by including a large number of photos, statistics regarding troop numbers, and even manufactured dialogue for Hitler.
Usability: The book is highly readable, fairly short, and could easily be used in the classroom or by a student interested in doing a project on Stalingrad. Although the text would be simplistic for many high school students, it may be appropriate for students at lower reading levels or by English-language learners.
Stein, Conrad. World at War: Siege of Leningrad. Chicago: The Children’s Press, 1983.
Resource intended for student use
Resource available through the OP library
Details: This 45-page book is intended to be used by younger students, starting at grade 6. It includes many black and white photographs and maps.
Content: This book recounts the main details of the three-year Siege of Leningrad, a terrible episode that impacted Soviet soldiers and civilians. The author tries to make the content as dramatic as possible by including a large number of photos, statistics regarding food rations, and first-person accounts from Soviet leaders.
Usability: The book is highly readable, fairly short, and could easily be used in the classroom or by a student interested in doing a project on the Siege. Although the text would be simplistic for many high school students, it may be appropriate for students at lower reading levels or by English-language learners.
Details: One of the seminal works regarding the Soviet experience in WWII, Werth’s 1,136-page book is the ultimate reference guide for teachers interested in adding material regarding the Soviet experience to their WWII unit. Although very detailed, this is a very interesting book for people who enjoy history, particularly military history.
Content: This book covers a period ranging from 1939 and the signing of the Nazi-Soviet Non-Aggression Pact through the end of the war and the beginning of the Cold War. There are several interesting maps included, all of which relate to battles and troop movements. There are also several charts and tables, specifically regarding statistics of war-time production and casualties. There is also a timeline of the war at the end of the book.
Usability: This book is not intended for student use—the writing is fairly complicated and so detailed that it would not be a good choice to use in the classroom, even in excerpts. Although the book is quite long, it has a very thorough table of contents and index to help direct the reader to specific content.
Understanding the American and Soviet Experience in WWII
[contributed by Cris Martin]Background
Essential Question: Who Won WWII?
Length: 2 weeks
Grade: 9th-12th
Student population: Varied
Guiding Massachusetts Frameworks: World History II: The Great Wars (WHII.20—WHII.28) and US History II: World War II, 1941-1945 (USII.14—USII.17).
The resources listed in this annotated resource library all pertain to a unit devoted to understanding the American and Soviet experience in WWII. This unit was not built around a text book, but rather on a variety of sources comprising various mediums, including non-fiction texts, interactive websites, and films. Because American history textbooks provide good coverage of the American experience in the war and there are so many units and lesson plans online devoted to this perspective, I have chosen to include only resources related to the Soviet experience in WWII in the annotated resource library that follows. Every print resource listed below can be borrowed, for free, from the Outreach Program resource library at the Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies at Harvard University.
Resources
Online Resources
· Soviet Territorial Annexations (1939)—this page details the Soviet annexation of Poland, which was a result of the Nazi-Soviet Non-Aggression Pact. The related materials on this page are particularly strong, including the text of the Secret Protocol and the actual Nazi-Soviet Pact, information on the war with Finland, and videos showing Molotov’s arrival in Germany and Estonia’s inclusion in the USSR.
· Cult of Leadership (1943)—this page compares Stalin and his growing power to that of Ivan the Terrible; it has a short clip from Sergei Eisenstein’s masterpiece, Ivan the Terrible, and a sound recording of Molotov’s announcement to the Soviet people regarding the German invasion in 1941.
· Deportation of Minorities (1943)—this page describes the forced migration of over one million ethnic minorities—including Chechen, Tatars, Volga Germans, Ingush, and Koreans—from their homelands to Eastern and Southern USSR. The accompanying documents include the text of Order 5859ss, which specifically called for the deportation of the Tatars, and a report on the progress of the deportations from Beria, then head of the Secret Police.
· Holocaust (1943)—this page provides insight into the Holocaust as it was experienced by Soviet Jews living in the occupied territories in Belarus and Poland. The related materials include a link to Yevtushenko’s moving poem, Babi Yar, as well as footage from a concentration camp near Talinn, Estonia.
· 900 Days (1943)—this page details the 900 day Siege of Leningrad, where over 2 million Soviet citizens lost their lives. The related materials include diaries kept by those who lived in the besieged city, related text which describes how the artifacts in Leningrad’s Hermitage survived the siege and three photo essays.
· Stalingrad (1943)—this page details the turning point in the war, the Battle for Stalingrad. The associated materials include a video regarding street-fighting in Stalingrad as well as two photo essays about life in the city under siege.
· The Battle of Kursk (1943)—this page details the magnificent tank battle at Kursk and features a two-minute clip detailing the battle, with footage and commentary (with English subtitles).
· Epaulettes Back on Uniforms (1943)—this page details the Soviet Union’s attempts to rebuild the morale of the military, particularly after the crushing early military defeats they suffered at the hands of the Nazis in 1941 and 1942. The additional information on the page pertains mostly to Marshal Georgii Zhukov, the leader of the Red Army during the war.
· The New National Anthem (1943)—this page details the history of the Soviet national anthem, the lyrics for which were rewritten during the war. The additional materials provide students with the opportunity to hear the various incarnations of the anthem.
· The Strange Alliance (1943)—this page provides a great deal of information on the war-time alliance between the “Big Three”—Great Britain, the US, and the USSR. The additional materials include the text of the Twenty-Year Mutual Assistance Agreement, the Lend-Lease Agreement, and the Yalta Agreement, three great primary source documents.
· Love and Romance in the War (1943)—this page details the heightened romanticism of the war and the consequences this had on marriage, births and the role of women in the USSR. Related materials include links to a website about female Soviet fighter pilots, and primary source documents regarding the legal reasons for divorce, benefits for illegitimate children and government aid to mothers and children.
· Veterans Return (1947)—this page tells of the sad fate that awaited many of the 8.5 million Soviet soldiers who returned from battle in the late 1940s. Many had no place to live, no family to return to, and no opportunity for employment. The additional materials include a short photo essay and art/propaganda posters announcing the return of Soviet soldiers.
Videos
- The Darkness Descends
2. Between Life and Death3. The Fight from Within
4. The Citadel
5. The Fall of the Swastika
Detailed notes on the content of each chapter are available through the Outreach Program.
Books